The first of April
by Tonksbeybey
Summary: It's Mad Hatter day in Storybrooke. This means normally pranks and tea. But this year there are a few suprises. A turnover, a glass coffin and the true meaning of conversations about mustard. (A lot of ships are mentioned but it's mainly a Frankenwolf story)


**Frankenwolf AU**

**Words: 2985**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Once upon a time**

** I wrote this exactly like it appeared in my head and my head is usually a big bag of weird. So just that you know XD Well I guess it's supposed to be funny and cute. Or something like that. whatever…mustard. (Yeah I just copied my tumblr disclaimer..lazy me)**

* * *

Everyone in Storybrooke had their own day. On Regina's day was the big Apple festival+ baking contest and as usual she won every year. On Prince Charming's day there was the biggest tournament in Hide and Seek. Belle's day was transformed into a book festival. On Henry's day everybody had to dress up as their favourite Storybook character, and of course they weren't allowed to dress up as themselves.

On Hook's day there was a big sailing regatta and afterwards they played piñata with a crocodile instead of a donkey. Mr Gold let him win sometimes for peace sake. And they usually drank his best Scotch afterwards together.

On Gepetto's day there was a big fair for children and their parents. Hansel and Gretel shared the 18th December and on the 17th it was the day off Mrs Ginger. First there was a gingerbread-house baking contest and the day after a gingerbread-house eating contest.

Rumpelstiltskin's day was the most surprising one. It had nothing to do with deals but with gardening. Graham loved this day nearly as much as his own, on which everybody was making picnics in the nature and he taught them all about wildlife.

Snow's day was the day of true love, on Cinderella's day there was a big ball; Mulan used her day for sword tournaments and on Aurora's day the whole town ran around in their pyjamas. Neal's day was the official father and son day, while Cora's day was the mother and daughter day. On Frankenstein's day everyone dressed up as a Victorian and on the Science fair one could inform oneself about new improvements in science and do some little experiments.

On Daniel's day there were a few tournaments in horse riding. No one was allowed to be mean on Jiminy's day. On Pongo's day everyone ate vanilla waffles which were formed like little hydrants. Maleficient enjoyed her day with watching "How to tame a dragon" for the little ones and in the evening there were a fair or talks about…well the official title for the evening was just "wedding night".

On Pinocchio's day one was only allowed to lie and tell stories and the person with the best story got the golden liar's nose.

On Gerhardt's day the whole town played zombie and there was the biggest match of paintball.

So everyone had a day and celebrated it with the whole town.

* * *

It was the first of April, the official Mad Hatter-Day, and every year on this day there were a big tournament in playing pranks and afterwards a big tea-party.

* * *

"What do you mean it wasn't Snow White who ate that turnover? That wasn't fair. I thought we agreed that we won't play pranks on each other. I'd have won with that. "

Daniel smiles at Regina. "Yeah we agreed to that, but you know that we break this promise every year. Well since I'm here."

Regina giggles. "Well then I hope whoever ate it will not have to lie in that glass coffin for too long. The tea party is always the funniest; it would be a pity if someone would miss it."

"They said the coffin will stand next to the tea table, so she can immediately get a cup after her true love kissed her. And you just think it is fun because Jefferson never poured out a cup of tea through your shirtsleeve."

They both laugh and Daniel kisses her briefly on the lips. "Well we should go now if we don't want to miss it ourselves."

* * *

"This is not good. This is extremely very not good." Jefferson looks concerned.

They all stand around the glass coffin in which the sleeping Ruby lies. Daniel apologizes again, but nobody is angry at him. First of all he thought like everyone else that Ruby would have a true love and second it had been no poison but only a sleeping potion and therefore there was a chance to wake her eventually without true love's kiss.

Jefferson suggests to fill the coffin with ice tea; delicious and animating. Granny tells him he can go ahead and try if he wants to walk around with his head stuck in a tea pot.

"And what if you kiss her, Papa?" Grace asks him. She likes Ruby and she wanted to show her, her new plush toy "Mister Kaninchen".

Jefferson nearly chokes on his ice tea. "Me? But Grace darling, I'm not Ruby's true love."

"Who is then?"

Granny takes the floor. "Okay since we don't know who her true love is, we have to try. Get in line, kisses only on the cheek and if someone doesn't let his hands, or hook, where it belongs then woe betide you!"

"What?! I didn't do anything! Always on the poor pirate's! That's pirate-icism! And after all I already have a true love!"

Everybody looks at him. "And this would be?", asks Charming confused.

"My ship of course! Or the floor… or Milah was, or maybe it is Swan here!"

Emma snorts. "Well the captain is right. He can't be it. Me neither because I have…" She looks confused from Hook to Neal. "Well one of them is mine."

"What about Charming?" Leroy asks.

"Excuse you, rude!", Snow answers. "Then what's about you Grumpy?!" she adds.

"Oh eh…well."

Nova steps in. "Well I'm maybe a fairy but no one else kisses my grumpy-bear!"

They grin at each other.

"Maybe you Mulan?" Henry looks up to her.

"Me? No way. Aurora and I share true love."

"I thought she would be the true love of Prince Philipp?"

Prince Philipp takes the floor. "Well that was just in the story, because Jakob and Wilhelm's editor was a jerk. They thought Aurora would sound better than Gus."

"I still don't get why" answer Gus and Aurora simultaneously.

"Okay, okay who else is there? Regina has Daniel, Pinocchio is only 7 years old, again. Rumpel shared true love kiss with Belle…"

"Yeah but what if it also means friendship as a form of love? Or the love of a mother, or a Grandma? I mean Emma kissed Henry and he woke up. I can kiss her."

They discuss a while until they have a waiting line in front of the coffin.

The Blue Fairy, Gepetto, Sydney, Henry (just in case that friendship works), the dwarves (except of Leroy), Jiminy, Claude (who doesn't even know her, but who knows, it could work), Graham (who insists that she's like his sister), Belle, Hook (just for fun), Jefferson (because Grace likes Ruby so much and again who knows what happens), Lancelot, Gerhardt and a few more.

Granny stands next to the coffin to check that no one tries anything. She had kissed Ruby on the cheek, but the love of a grandma apparently doesn't work on sleeping curses.

The others sit down at the long tea table and watch the spectacle.

One after one, they kiss Ruby on the cheek.

Viktor sits there and watches it happen. They seemed to have forgotten about him as an option and because no one recognises this he stays silent. How embarrassing would it be to tell them that he would like to try it, just to let them witness how nothing happen. Because he is sure that nothing would happen.

He had talked to Ruby a few times and it had always been a disaster. Every time they had been interrupted or he had been so nervous around her that he had started to talk rubbish. They once had a 15 minute conversation about mustard. He had felt like an idiot afterwards.

Whereas Gerhardt and Ruby always had plenty to talk about. He never behaved awkward in her company and he never failed to make her smile.

Her true love will turn out to be Jefferson or Gerhardt, Viktor is certain of that.

It's Jefferson's turn. He bends forward, and the whole town just holds its breath, and he gives her a kiss on the cheek. Everyone's waiting excited, if the golden fairy-dust-ish, shock wave is going to happen.

It doesn't.

He looks at Grace. She walks to him and takes his hand because she knows that he feels like he has disappointed her.

"It's okay Papa so Ruby can always be our friend, can't she? I mean if we find her true love and she wakes up again, I still can show her Mr Kaninchen, or can't I?"

Jefferson smiles down at her. "Of course you can."

He and Grace step aside and sit down at the table to get some tea.

Viktor tries not to show how happy he is that Jefferson isn't Ruby's true love. Not because of Jefferson, he is one of his best friends after all, but it would have been awkward to have a weakness for the true love of his best friend.

The procedure continues.

Viktor gets strung up with every kiss that doesn't work and brings Gerhardt closer to his try.

_Please not him. Everyone else, even Hook, but please not Gerhardt. Don't let him be her true love._

Viktor repeats this in his mind like a mantra. _Not him, please not him._

He loves his brother, of course. Everyone does. Everyone likes Gerhardt, everyone wants to talk to him.

He is funny, kind and brave.

He and Ruby would make a great couple. Gerhardt simply has to be her true love.

Viktor feels a sting in his heart.

Gerhardt was the last in line and now it's his turn.

Viktor claws his hands into the tabletop.

He looks around and sees many people who nod, apparently safe in the knowledge that Ruby will awake any minute.

Gerhardt bends forward and kisses Ruby on the cheek.

Some people hold their breath.

Nothing happens.

Viktor gasps in shock.

It takes him a lot of discipline not to cheer out loud.

But if Gerhardt isn't her true love who is it then?

* * *

The others seem to wonder about this as well.

"Should I try again?", Hook asks just to get the evil look from Emma.

"I'm just kidding!", he adds fast.

"But if they all aren't Ruby's true love does this mean she won't wake up again, Papa?" Grace asks concerned.

"Maybe those who have their true love should try as well." Snow speaks her mind.

"Or the person who hasn't tried yet should give it a go, already." Granny replies loud. She looks at Viktor.

Everybody turns to him.

"But I…I'm not…" he stammers.

"Come on young man. I don't care if you're her true love or not. You will try or so help me."

Granny looks determined.

Viktor stands up and walks to the glass coffin not without looking panicky at his friends who give him thumps up and encouraging smiles.

_Could it really be?_

Viktor's heart races like mad.

He bends forward and kisses Ruby slightly on the forehead, with his eyes closed. The crowd is silent. Viktor straightens himself again and takes a few steps back.

He hasn't seen if his kiss has lifted the curse but Ruby doesn't move.

He feels a numb pain in his breast.

_Of course not, how could I ever expect something else?_

He knows that all eyes are on him and he knows that his way back to the table will look slouchy and miserable.

Again he searches for Jefferson's sight and is bewildered to see his friend grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Turn around!", Jefferson forms the words with his mouth, without saying them.

Viktor looks confused and turns around slowly.

Ruby glomps him with such a speed, that they nearly fall down on the floor.

"I knew it, I knew it would be you" She whispers resting her head on his crook of the neck.

Viktor is totally thunderstruck. It takes him some seconds to realise the meaning of this all.

Ruby takes a step back, her hands still on Viktor's arms, and smiles at him, deliriously happy.

"You did it!"

The crowd cheers and claps.

Viktor blushes, but smiles at Ruby.

_Is this really happening? Or am I dreaming?_

Granny walks towards Ruby.

"I think you should go and eat would you accompany her to the diner? Here are the keys. Make sure she eats something."

* * *

They walk in silence, Ruby has taken his hand.

Viktor really wants to talk to her, but doesn't know how to start.

"Well, seems like we are each other's true love, huh?" He says after a while.

_Oh my god. Why did I say this? I'm such an idiot._

"Sorry, I just, I just don't know how to…", he adds and goes silent before he even finishes the sentence.

Ruby smiles at him.

"It's okay. If you want we can try and do some Smalltalk first."

He looks at her gratefully. "So what do you want to talk about, Ruby?"

"Well since you're the first person I really enjoyed to talk about mustard with, and since we already covered that…how about ketchup?"

They both start to laugh.

"It's a bit awkward, don't you think?"

Ruby asks between two bites of her burger.

"What do you mean? The fact that we just found out that we are each other's true love in front of the whole town; or the fact that we share true love , though we barely know each other; or do you mean that we've tried to talk about salt and pepper after we've said everything interesting about ketchup?"

Ruby chuckles.

"Well this isn't entirely true. I know a lot about you. You are kind, you are clever, you like to draw, you love your job, you can cook pretty well and you get a bit insecure if you like someone."

Viktor looks at her dumbfounded. "How do you know that I like to cook and draw?"

Ruby blushes.

"Oh eh Gerhardt probably mentioned it, once or twice."

"Gerhardt and you talked about me? Once or twice?"

Ruby looks abashed as if he just caught her with her paws in the cookie jar.

"Actually you were our main topic… Please don't be angry with him. I basically forced him to tell me things about you."

"Do you want to tell me most of the times you two stood around laughing and chatting, you were talking about me? But if you wanted to know things why didn't you just ask me?"

He feels tingly inside. Can it really be that instead of preferring Gerhardt's presence over his, that she really just tried to get information about him?

"Well would you have answered? And I guess we're pretty much the same when it comes to talking with people we like."

Viktor smiles at her. "So you like me?"

"This question is probably a bit unnecessary after we just found out that you're my true love, but I'll answer it anyway. Of course I like you! Or do you think I would have asked Gerhardt about you if I didn't?"

"You told me you knew it would be me when you hugged me. How did you know that?"

Ruby shrugs her shoulders. "I didn't know it exactly, but I really hoped so."

Viktor grins happily.

"So what should we do with this whole situation?" Ruby asks.

"I guess we could stay here and talk a bit and get to know each other better… I mean we probably should, now that we're…you know the true love thing." Viktor mutters, but at least the talking seems to work better than before.

Ruby hums and haws before she finally answers with burning cheeks.

"We could do so, or we could first…I mean I would like to..."

Viktor stares at her totally amazed. She's even more beautiful when she behaves as awkward as he normally does.

Without even thinking about it, he leans forward and kisses her softly. She nearly expects this kiss to be a bit clumsy, because of this strange and awkward situation they're in, but it isn't at all. It's a pretty good kiss. Very enjoyable.

"That was exactly what I meant. How did you know?" Ruby asks amused after their kiss, while they catch some breath.

"Well I didn't. Maybe it's kind of a true love special sense or something like this?"

"I guess it could be. This would explain why I know that you just thought chutney would also be a good topic, if we don't find a conversational gambit." Ruby grins at him.

Both laugh.

"Well I guess there is a good reason why it's us two."

"You know what? I think so, too."

This time Ruby kisses him.

* * *

Belle sits between Rumpel and Gerhardt while Jefferson gives the price for the best prank to Regina.

"Well I don't see how this is fair. You deserve it more" Rumple mutters.

Belle laughs.

"Well it was her idea to fill a turnover with sleeping potion not mine. She deserves it already for the idea"

Rumpel looks sceptical. "What? She tries every year to fool Snow with some sleeping-potion filled baked goods. And now when it works on Ruby she gets something. My prank on Killian is far more entertaining."

"You mean this one with a large plush-crocodile and an alarm clock?" Gerhardt asks grinning.

Rumpel smiles. "This is exactly what I meant".

Belle laughs.

"Well we promised Daniel for his help that Regina gets what she deserves, namely this price. I mean without her prank we couldn't have played ours." Gerhardt adds.

"Well and besides this again, it wasn't really a prank. More like a plot. A true love plot".

"I'm very glad we were right about them. Though there wasn't really a doubt. I mean who on earth enjoys to talk about mustard for 15 minutes if it isn't out of love?"

"Exactly and by the way… if you and Daniel would like to join me again next year…I've heard Granny and Gepetto talked over 30 minutes about wood lately…"


End file.
